Self Development
“The aim of life is self-development. To realize one’s nature perfectly – that is what each of us is here for.”
–Oscar Wilde (Irish Dramatist and Wit, 1854-1900)
“The Picture of Dorian Grey and Other Works by Oscar Wilde (Halcyon Classics)” (Oscar Wilde)
Sleep
“There is between sleep and us something like a pact, a treaty with no secret clauses, and according to this convention it is agreed that, far from being a dangerous, bewitching force, sleep will become domesticated and serve as an instrument of our power to act. We surrender to sleep, but in the way that the master entrusts himself to the slave who serves him.”
Maurice Blanchot (French Literary Theorist and Author, 1907-2003)
Reverence for Life
“Reverence for life affords me my fundamental principle of morality, namely that good consists in maintaining, assisting, and enhancing life, and that to destroy, to harm, or to hinder life is evil.”
–Albert Schweitzer (Alsatian-born Theologian, Philosopher, Mission Doctor and, in 1952, Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, 1875-1965)
Finding What You Love
“You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. Don’t make money your goal. Instead, pursue the things you love doing, and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off you.”
–Maya Angelou (African-American Poet, Writer and Performer, 1928-)
Knowing What You Want
“The indispensable first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: decide what you want.”
–Ben Stein (American Attorney, Professor, Writer and Game Show Host, 1944-)
Individuality
“Those who judge human beings according to generic characteristics only reach the boundary, beyond which people begin to be beings whose activity is based on free self-determination….
Characteristics of race, tribe, ethnic group and gender are subjects for special sciences…. But all these sciences cannot penetrate through to the special nature of the individual. Where the realm of freedom of thought and action begin, the determination of individuals according to generic laws ends.”
–Rudolf Steiner (Croatian-born Austrian Mystic, Occultist, Social Philosopher, Architect and Founder of Anthroposophy, 1861-1925)
On Fire With Sacredness
“All Creation is on fire with sacredness; the Buddha nature and the Cosmic Christ and the image of God reside in the very light photons present in every atom in the universe.”
–Matthew Fox (a.k.a. Timothy James, American Theologian and Priest, 1940-)
The Look of a Winner
“Regardless of how you feel inside, always try to look like a winner. Even if you are behind, a sustained look of control and confidence can give you a mental edge that results in victory.”
–Arthur Ashe (African-American Tennis Player and First Non-White to Win the US open and Wimbledon, 1943-1993)
What If Time Is Not Real?
“If time is not real, then the dividing line between this world and eternity, between suffering and bliss, between good and evil, is also an illusion.”
–Hermann Hesse (German-born Swiss Novelist, Poet and, in 1946, Winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, 1877-1962)